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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29486976">Play With Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenite_Flowers/pseuds/Selenite_Flowers'>Selenite_Flowers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nevermoor Series - Jessica Townsend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book 2: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, Canon Compliant, Drabble, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Missing Scene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:14:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>340</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29486976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenite_Flowers/pseuds/Selenite_Flowers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’ll deal with our dear friend Henry.”</p>
<p>Morrigan Crow leaves to save her friends, and Ezra Squall stays to end his. Henry Mildmay finds he enjoys disappearances far less when they’re happening to him.</p>
<p>Drabble of a missing scene in Wundersmith.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Henry Mildmay &amp; Ezra Squall</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Play With Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’ll deal with our <em> dear </em> friend Henry.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   Henry watched the shadows skulk toward him as Morrigan Crow and Hawthorne Swift ran inside the Ghastly Market to attempt to ruin all his hard work. As much as he liked the girl, he was still all too happy she would be too late. Still, the more present matter at hand was definitely the murderer looking far too pleased and livid. And his monsters.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   A hound lunged at him, and he fell backwards away from its shadowy jaws. He paled as Squall approached him, mouth black as he grinned. His hazel eyes snapped to the face of the laughing man— no, <em>monster</em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   The illusion was cracking now. He could see clear as day the image of the fabled Wundersmith, the one he was so confused was meant to be the pale mild mannered man who had first approached him. Squall’s eyes were black as a shark’s as his hunt circled, the hounds snarling and snapping and biting at the air in front of him. Always just an <em> inch </em> from his clammy skin. He crawled back, further away from the approaching beasts.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   Henry’s back hit the wall and his heart almost stopped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   “Didn’t you ever tell them not to play with their food?” He asked, staring into the gleeful burning pits of a huntsman’s eyes and trying to keep his voice steady.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   “They do their job, I let them have their fun. Good monsters thrive on fear.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   “I see.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   He chuckled, his smile not reaching his eyes. “I suppose you <em>will</em>, at least.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   His stomach turned as he watched the dark figures bare their teeth from the edge of the light. He glanced away from the growling mass of darkness as Squall spoke once again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   “You really should have seen this coming, Henry. When you play with fire, you should always expect to be burnt.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   He barely had time to regret attempting to double-cross the evillest man alive before his arm seared with pain from the nearest foxhound’s impatience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>   Then the world went dark.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I swear my life has been taken over by these two. Oh well! This for all you patient lovelies in the Discord who are waiting for the next Squallmay thing. Ily &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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